Update: I was unfortunately not aware of Shamus Young's severe criticism of Fallout 3 available here to link in the original piece and I regret that. It dovetails rather nicely with what I've written and it's much better executed than my piece. I strongly recommend anyone...

Tony Hawk's Project 8 Screenshots

Reengineered from the ground up for Sony and Microsoft’s next-generation consoles, Tony Hawk’s Project 8™ immerses players in the definitive skateboarding experience using ultra-realistic graphics, enhanced physics and extremely responsive controls that simulate the feeling of skating with every trick and bail. The game challenges players to experience the intensity and excitement of skating against some of the world’s top amateurs, as they climb the ranks in an effort to earn their way onto Tony Hawk’s Project 8 Team. Delivering continuous skating action in a free-roaming living environment, Tony Hawk’s Project 8 incorporates the series’ most popular features, all of which have been enhanced with next-generation technology.

KEY FEATURES:

• Next Generation Gameplay Brings Skateboarding to Life: Tony Hawk’s Project 8 is built from the ground up with an entirely new engine for Sony and Microsoft next-generation consoles and features incredible graphics and an amazing animation system, including full 3D body scans of pro athletes and motion captured skateboard tricks.

• Most Unique, Robust and Realistic Skateboarding Game Experience Ever: Tony Hawk’s Project 8 offers more goals, missions, and secret areas than any other Tony Hawk game. Players track stats with new in-game record keeping, explore the city, compete in demos and competitions, or just skate how they want to skate. New challenges appear throughout the world as they progress, giving gamers the freedom to take on challenges in any order they desire as they climb from the #200 ranked skater to the top 8 on Tony’s Team.

o Nail the Trick – An entirely new way to play the game, Nail the Trick mode gives precision control over how the skater moves his feet to flip the skateboard. Using dual analog stick motions, players can create their own unique skate tricks on the fly, anywhere in the game – even during a combo – as they watch the action unfold in slow-motion.

o Multiple Tiers of Difficulty – A redesigned goal system that provides each goal with an AM, PRO, and SICK difficulty level, making the game both accessible to the novice and super challenging for the advanced player.

o Filmer and Photo Goals – On the way to #1 pro-skater status, players must trick through photo shoot locations, or follow a filmer who has a video camera and complete the goals he’s dishing out while keeping up with him.

o Picture-in-in-Picture – Player can watch gameplay unfold on the main screen while observing the action on film in a superimposed video box.

o Movable Ramps and Rails throughout the city – Place ramps and rails to set up challenging lines and/or gain access to secret spots.

o “Impress the Locals” – An improved A.I. engine allows players to impress in-game citizens and pedestrians to earn cash to purchase equipment. The pedestrians watch players perform tricks, laugh at brutal bails and punch players in the gut for knocking into them.

• SIXAXIS™ Wireless Controller for PLAYSTATION®3: With tilt control fully integrated into nearly every aspect of the Tony Hawk control system, players can steer, manual, grind, balance, revert, execute tricks, and perform deep combos entirely with the SIXAXIS Wireless Controller. The controller can also be used in the new, slow motion Nail the Trick Mode.

• Enhanced Physics and Animations: The new physics system introduces a greater sense of momentum and gravity while the layered animation system blends up to 20 animations on the skater at one time creating the most fluid virtual skating experience ever.